Batgirl: Cassandra Cain, Beneath The Symbol
by NightCowl
Summary: Prequel to Knights and Angels Under The Wring. Cassandra still searching for questions she has no answers for. But there is one question she will soon discover that she might not find the answer for, "Who is Cassandra Cain, Beneath The Symbol? [Will be updated along with Knights and Angels Under The Wing]
1. Chapter 1

**Batgirl: Cassandra Cain Beneath The Symbol**

# 1

**Once Upon A Time**

**A/N: The story falls in the same continuity as my other story, Knights and Angels Under The Wing. This story takes place before it.**

* * *

_Once upon a time there was this little girl with no name, with her came violence and hurting._

_Those are the two things that her father ever taught her._

_No words, only violence, no love, only hurting._

_Instead of telling her stories, he beat her, instead of hugs, he shot at her, instead of love, he slash at her with a knife. He trained her to become a weapon, to become the perfect killer, to become nothing more than simple object._

_At the time she had no clue just how wrong this was, and thought this was real love from a man and a little girl…_

_However after many years of being trained in the life style there is one thing that the her father forgot to account for, the very one thing that made her turn away from this life style._

_The young girl's heart._

_All it took is the body language of a dying man._

"_Terror then nothing…."_

_She could still saw the blood on her hands since the day she ran away from him._

_Her heart and soul was lost, and like all lost souls she found herself in Gotham._

_The now teenage girl did what she had to do to survive the streets of Gotham. She slept in dark alleyways, ate food from the garbage, taken clothes that other people thrown away. She had no home._

_Until No Man Land._

_She met a woman, Barbara Gordon, they became allies during No Man Land, but most important they became friends despite that fact she was unable to read or talk._

_Barbara gave the girl a name_

_Cassandra._

_Then she met Batman, someone who she admired. Batman gave her second greatest gift to her._

_He gave the girl a symbol._

_The Symbol._

* * *

**Nyssa Fortress Lazarus Pit**

Lady Shiva lay in her daughter, Cassandra's arms. The older woman stared up at her only daughter, no real words she can portray, only tears in her eyes.

To Lady Shiva, Cassandra wasn't just her daughter, but her only wish of someone finally stop her, someone to defeat her in a death duel, for someone to be better than her.

"Please?" Lady Shiva begged. "Please finish me…" tears ran down her face.

Cassandra saw the sadness in her mother eyes, the torment, fear, and hurting all at the same time. That was the first time that Cassandra ever saw her mother like that. Of all the times they cross paths, she saw cold emptiness in her mother cold eyes, someone who had a death wish.

The eyes of a killer back then are now just the eyes of a woman who wanted her life wish to come true.

"Shhh" Cassandra whispered as she kissed her mother on the forehead. "It's over," she picked Lady Shiva up in her arms and tossed her Lazarus Pit. Her body landed on a metal hook as it pierce through Shiva's shoulder.

"Thank you…." Lady Shiva whimpered as she closed her eyes.

Cassandra looked at her mother as her body dangled over the Lazarus Pit, and finally Cassandra could no longer hold back her tears.

Before everything; the search for her mother, the fight, she held back her tears even with the realization of her real birth. Cassandra wasn't born out of love, wasn't born from passion, it was only just a deal between two assassins, two killers, not parents.

She was born to kill, to hurt.

"Sorry mother…." Cassandra apologized in a whisper, tears still run down her cheeks. "But…" she paused as she heard the sound of the metal hook tore through her mother shoulder and into her outfit, it was the only thing that prevent her to fall down in the Lazarus Pit.

"But," she repeated in whisper as she took one last look at her mother.

Lady Shiva was still alive… just passed out from the pain.

"**I don't kill…"** she turned away from Lady Shiva and made her way out of the room, out of the Nyssa Ruins.

Cassandra didn't even look back when she heard the sound of Shiva's body falling into the Lazarus Pit.

**Balkan Mountains Nyssa Fortress**

The moment that Cassandra stepped outside from Nyssa Fortress, into the wilderness, she cold wind greeted her and snow in the dark misty night. A blizzard en-wrapped her whole body, a damp coldness run down her spine, as she stepped into the snow in bare feet. Tired and alone she continued down the path towards the abandon village.

The young woman was mentally and physically exhausted, the fight with Lady Shiva really drained her body. Cassandra dragged her feet in the snow so deep that it reached high above her ankles. She used anything she could to keep her balance; the walls of abandon homes, to broken fences. Her eyes grew heavy as her legs. It was only a matter of time, before she collapsed on her knees in the wet snow.

_No I refused to give up, I can't give up. I have friends, I can't….give up. Now move!_

She struggled to get up on one leg, she managed to do so. However as soon as she tried to stand on her other leg, both legs gave in and she fell on to a half-frozen puddle of water on the ground.

_I refused….there so much I need…want to do. Protect and help people…learn to read….learn to write…. to belong somewhere._

The drained young woman slowly started to fall into unconscious. The Bat symbol on her costume reflected off from half-frozen puddle on the ground. It was the last thing she saw.

Then she recalled a memory from a time not too long ago.

"_I need to know once and for all where your loyalties are, Cassandra. Is it for your father? For Barbara? Or for me?" Batman question her._

"_**No, not you, this**." Cassandra answered as she pointed at the **Bat Symbol** on his chest._

"_Good, let this symbol be your strength Cassandra."_

"_My strength…."_

Cassandra eyes snapped opened as she saw Bat symbol on her chest again.

"My strength…. so move!" she shouted to herself as she forced herself on her feet.

She took each step little by little, each step was painful for her body, but she power through it all. The ice on the path didn't help. Eventually her body made her way just on the outskirts of the village. A very steep rocky path down a mountain side was the only exited out of here.

_It's dangerous, but only way down._

"Siiiiissster bat you no dieee!?" a very similar voice hissed at her.

Cassandra widen her eyes in shock, she knew that voice. The same voice she tried to help, a voice of another victim of her father. She turned around to see Mad Dog, her 'brother'.

Before Cassandra was born, Mad Dog was David Cain 'first' child. A large number of children were grown through experiment and theory to make the 'perfect weapon', however one of the children grew into madness and killed the other children. That child name was Mad Dog, 'son' of David Cain, and 'brother' to Cassandra.

"Dis time I kill you good," he started to drool. "Want to taste your dead body." He snickered.

"Mad dog…wait no brother! Please stop…listen! I can help you, I know some people that….." she started to plea but it fell on death ears as he started to charge at her. "Stop…I don't want to hurt you!" she cried.

"But I do!" Mad Dog hissed as he lunched at her.

Cassandra body froze, not physically, but morally.

_No strength to attack…can't dodge out of the way…If I do he will fall off cliff and to his death, If I don't dodge we both go off the cliff…._

"Batgirl down and cover your ears!" another familiar voice called out to her.

With a split second Cassandra dove to ground her hands covered her ears, it wasn't really enough as she still heard and felt a high pitch scream sonic wave that hit Mad Dog and send him away off the cliff.

_I couldn't save him._

Tears run down her cheeks. She failed to save him.

She felt someone arms wrapped around her and raised her up to her feet; she looked up to a warm smile.

Dinah Lance also known as Black Canary look down to her.

"I couldn't help him, I couldn't save him." she cried out to her.

She could see Canary mouth move, but heard no words as her ears still rang. However she didn't need to hear words, see can see from Canary body language and her body spoke of concern and worry, and fear.

"I couldn't help my brother…" Cassandra passed out in Black Canary's arms.

* * *

**Aeria One Birds of Prey**

Cassandra eyes opened slowly with the sound of fingers on a computer keyboard, she found herself in a soft bed in a small cozy room, well decorated in computer hardware and electronics. She recognized the smell of the bed sheets. The computer monitor illumination hovered over her brown eyes. She turned her head to see Barbara, in her wheelchair doing something with her computer her face engrossed in her work.

_This room, been here before just a few days ago. I'm with Birds of Prey…Barbara hard at work like usual, doesn't even notice I'm awake. It's okay though._

"Umm hi…" Cassandra gave Barbara a slight awkward wave.

The red-headed woman sprang her head from her computer monitor, and with that she gave Cassandra the biggest smile. Through her body language, Cassandra could tell it was a smile of joy, relief and sadness but more importantly it was a smile from a friend to another.

_She smiles, good, didn't realize until now, but I miss her smile._

"Cassie!" Barbara greeted as she move her wheelchair beside Cassandra bed. "Whoa easy now," Barbara put her hands on Cassandra shoulders as she helped her sit up from the bed. "It's incredible that you were able to wake up so soon, just don't push too hard, how are you feeling?" a look concerned in her eyes.

_Head hurts, body worn out, but still alive, will get better._

Cassandra rubbed her forehead for comfort.

"I'm ok. How long was I un- - uncos-" Cassandra paused for a few seconds as she tried her best to figure out the correct word.

_What was that word again? My head hurts, don't think of it too much, find a different term._

"How long was I knocked up for?" she asked.

"First thing first," Barbara leaned in from her wheelchair and took Cassandra in her arms and hugged her tightly. "I'm very happy you are alive. I really thought I lost you Cassie." Barbara took in a deep breath she couldn't help that her eyes started to water.

Cassandra wrapped her arms around Barbara and held her tightly as well.

_I feel terrible to see her cry, it makes me cry. Didn't see her cry since she told me she and Dick broke up._

"By the way it's knocked out…not knocked up, and the word you were looking for is un-con-sic-ous," she chuckled in her tears.

_I don't see the difference between knock out and knock up, I guess the direction is wrong. Doesn't matter now this hug feels nice._

To Cassandra, physical contact and body language is the only way she learned to express her affection to another human being. She always had a hard time express affection towards others into actual words, and often had to result in physical contact, such as hug, a stroke on a cheek or arm. Physical affection is something she loved to experience, and often yarn for it as words were not natural to her.

"How did you find me?" Cassandra asked.

"I manage to put a tracking device on your Bat-cycle when you were talking to Dinah last time you were here. So we were standing by this whole time, we were really worried when we haven't heard from you in a few days. That added with your personal SOS device in your utility belt, Black Canary was able to track you down pretty easy." Barbara explained as she broke the hug with Cassandra.

"I don't understand," Cassandra confused. "I didn't acti…activ…use it. My belt, taken from me by my mother, Shiva. She was looking in it for something a picture I had. Maybe she used it…." Cassandra offered a deduction.

"So Shiva is really your mother then. Why would she do that?" Barbara asked.

"I don't know…maybe after our fight to the death, win or lose she wanted for someone to find my body?" Cassandra she shrugged.

"A fight to the death?" Barbara asked in shock.

"Yes, she wanted me to finish her; she gave birth to me just so I can fulfill her dream of someone end her life and replace her….but I didn't kill her, because I don't want become her, ever." Cassandra explained with a slight nod as she looked away from the concerned look from Barbara.

"Cassie you don't need to explain any more than you have too," Barbara took Cassandra's hands in hers. "Listen we are on our way to Gotham, to Batman, you can explained everything to him if you want. But first you need to rest up. Okay?" she asked.

"After Gotham…." Cassandra paused.

"Yes?"

Cassandra looked away again, rather timid. Which was one of the rare times Barbara has ever seen her act like that, she was always so used of Cassandra being distant and stubborn.

"Would it be okay….if I um" Cassandra blushed. "Would it be okay if I stay here with you for a while so I can…find a way to learn to read and write?" she asked so timidly like a little girl.

Barbara felt overjoyed, ever since she met Cassandra back in No Man Land, she became attached to seventeen year old girl ever since. Wanted to take care of her.

For the first year when Cassandra was given the mantle of Batgirl, Barbara tried her best to teach Cassandra how to read and write. But due to Cassandra stubborn behavior and how she was unable to speak to begin with, was very frustrating for Barbara.

But now…

"Of course, I'll be happy to teach you but…" Barbara gave Cassandra a wicked grin. "I have to warn you, I am a very strict scary teacher."

"I know," Cassandra grinned back. "Reason why I ran away from the teacher the first place."

Both women shared a warm heartfelt laugh together.

"Oracle! We will be in Gotham in about few more hours." Zinda their pilot announced in Barbara's headset.

"Okay Zinda, thanks." She replied back. "Well looks like you be home soon Cassie-"

"Wait Barbara before we see Batman…there one place I need to go first, alone." Cassandra interrupted her.

"Ok Cassie, where to?"

"Blackgate, I need to ask my father something." She answered.

_I need to know if there are any more like me and Mad Dog._

**Next Time: Blood Matters**

* * *

**Authors Note: So yeah this is my mini prequel story of Batgirl. This story will be updated along with my other story. Knights and Angels Under The Wing. **

**Please Review. **

**Have any questions about my stories? Feel free to ask.**


	2. Chapter 2

Batgirl: Cassandra Cain Beneath The Symbol

# 2

Blood Matters

* * *

**AERIA ONE **

**BIRDS OF PREY HQ**

"She is still in showers huh?" Black Canary asked as she sat in the bed in front of Barbara. She rested herself on the edge her legs stretched out straight.

Barbara nodded as she continued to work on her computer, she decided to double-check on Blackgate to see if they made any new security changes there. They upgraded a great deal from last time she checked, last time she couldn't touch Blackgate because of the lack of real computerize electronics she could use.

But now she basically had full access to everything within, ironically the upgrade in security actually benefited her greatly.

"She going to use up all the hot water and its going to take time for the recycle water to heat up again you know?" Dinah joked, trying to loosen up the tension in the air. She could tell her best friend was a little to focus, more focus that she would normally be.

Barbara didn't respond, she continued to work on her computer; Dinah finally took a deep breath.

"Hey listen Babs, I really like the kid, and I would like to be in the loop here. Just what happen there? Did she tell you?" Dinah asked as she leaned forward her hands together over her lap. "All I know is one moment Helena and I going through a blizzard finding the kid, and then I'm saving her life by some crazy acting animal guy, now here we are. And now were going straight to Gotham."

Barbara looked up.

"I'm sure you already know this, Lady Shiva is her mother, her father is David Cain. She was just an experiment to the both of them, Shiva gave birth to her in hopes to someday her own daughter would be the one to kill her, to replace her. Her father trained her to be the perfect body-guard for Ra's al Ghul." Barbara explained as she fixed her glasses..

"Whoa," Canary taken back with the straight forward answer from Barbara.

"I figure those letters that Shiva gave you would have mention something," Barbara pointed out.

Dinah blinked a few times and her stomach tied up in knot. "She told you?"

"No she didn't tell me Dinah!" Barbara raised her voice at her. "I figured it out. Part-time detective remember?" Barbara pointed to herself. "It was pretty clear that you use some new fighting moves out in the field suddenly... that resembled something very familiar to what Cassandra or Lady Shiva would use, and there are only few people living that know them."

Guilt flooded the woman's heart, she felt horrible for hiding something this big from Barbara, a woman who she trusted the most.

"Sorry Babs, Shiva wanted for me to become her apprentice… I didn't mean hide it-"

"Don't fret over it Dinah." Barbara gave a half-smile. "Water under the bridge."

"So what now? We drop her off to Batman?" Dinah asked relived that her best friend isn't completely angry with her.

"We going to drop Cassie off near Blackgate first, she has some questions for her father. Then well I'm going to try to convince Batman if she would stay with us for a while." Barbara answered.

Cassandra stood in the small shower room naked for a long time her reflection of the mirror in front of her. In her eyes, she saw the body full of old body scars from her child hood and as Batgirl. Her fingers touched her chest; it was the same spot where Mad Dog stabbed her heart, instead of a scar, smooth light brown skin. She then touched her thigh; it was the scar from the first bullet wound her father gave her, and slightly above that one, another scar.

_Two for flinching…._

But in reality, there was no scars, no signs of imperfection.

_All my scars are gone, because of Lazarus Pit. But I still 'see' them and I still remember them, when I got them…how I got them._

She shook her head and stared very hard at her reflection of her face, the face that resembled her mother.

"**We're a lot alike you and I, in terms of our colouring I mean**."

"**You see blood changes everything doesn't it**?"

Lady Shiva's voice popped in Cassandra thoughts.

_I will never be you mother..._

She clenched her fist in anger; it took her all her will power not to smash the mirror in front of her.

She dried herself off and pick up the clothes that Barbara arranged for her. It was big for her petite frame but it didn't matter to her.

Dinah walked in on her. She leaned against the wall and waited patiently for Cassandra to finish, Dinah wasn't a big believer in privately when it comes to other women she consider friends. Cassandra took a quick glance at Dinah; she recognized the look, the body language. It was the same that Dinah gave her back in Balkan Mountains when she saved her life from Mad Dog, she wanted to ask.

"His name was Mad Dog…" Cassandra slid pants up her legs and tightened the belt around her waist fully.

Dinah blinked a few times. "How—"

"Same body language back then, same now," She put on the shirt, it hung loose.

"Damn, that's freaky skill you have there…." She knew she could have worded that better or not even addressed it at all. Cassandra didn't give her response she tied her hair up into a short pony tail.

"Listen kiddo," Dinah paused as she tried to figure out the correct words to say it. "You don't have to do this."

"See my father?" Cassandra tossed the wet towel in the laundry hamper.

"Well more than that," Dinah rubbed the back of her neck. "Listen kid, Barbara and I been talking about what's best for you **your future** and-"

"You talk to Barbara…**about my future,"** Cassandra she cut her Dinah off, she started to glare at her.

Dinah took a deep breath; Barbara warned her how stubborn Cassandra could be. Near levels of stubbornness Batman and hard-headed too.

"Babs wants to see you okay kid?" Dinah asked, she gave up on conversation.

"I'm not a kid, I'm nineteen…" Cassandra muttered under her breath as she made her way to door, she stopped and looked up at Dinah. "Thank you for back there….." she placed her hand on Dinah shoulder and smiled.

Dinah smiled back she was a bit taken back from the sudden switch in moods from Cassandra.

"No problem kid-I mean Cassandra," she smiled back.

Cassandra nodded and left the room. As she stepped out she saw Huntress, there in front of the door, her body also against the wall in the hallway.

"Batgirl," she nodded.

Cassandra read no hostility from her body language.

"Huntress…" Cassandra nodded as she made her way to Barbara's room.

Huntress sighed, Dinah walked out of the shower room.

"Is there going to be any real issues between you two if she does stay with us Helena?" Dinah asked.

"No, I'm over it the 'whole Batman little favorite'." She answered. "The only thing I feel towards her is pity now…"

Cassandra casually walked in Barbara's room and sat on the bed, it was the only thing that was possible to sit on with all the computer equipment taking most of the space. She didn't say a word, she just watch Barbara sew up her Batgirl suit.

Her eyes wander through the room, a picture frame underneath the pillow caught her interested.

It was a picture of Barbara and Dick in swim suits at the beach. Dick held Barbara like if she was a bride, Cassandra remembered seeing a movie like that before. Both seem happy back then, but now Cassandra knew about their rocky relationship and their nasty break up. The young woman notice small water stains on the glass display, they were water stain from tears.

Barbara noticed Cassandra looking at the picture frame, a bit of her was little peeved that she was going through her personal items, but then again didn't blame her. It not like she had the picture well hidden anyway.

"We are almost near Blackgate. I double checked their security, nothing we can't handle." Barbara explained. "But Cassie I need to ask you something. I am happy you finally want to learn to read and write. And I know the main reason you want to is because want to replace **him**-"

Barbara stopped talking Cassandra shook her head as she place the picture frame back on the bed.

"It's not just about replacing **him** Barbara, it's keeping this alive," Cassandra pointed at the **Bat Symbol **on her suit that was in Barbara's hands. "**This symbol…is my heart…and soul."**

This maybe the first time that Barbara ever heard Cassandra talk about herself. She always closed herself off, and never told people about how she felt. Barbara wanted to speak out, but waited patiently for her Cassandra to finish.

"After my first kill when I was eight, I ran away from my father. I felt... I was **bad, a killer, and after the things I saw when I was out there... evil,**" Cassandra put her hand on her chest. "But in NO MAN'S LAND I found **you**, I found **him**…I found **it**. I saw what he does, help people, used his 'hurting' as strength. It was his **Symbol, **made me believe that **I could be good, not evil...** Then Batman gave me **The Symbol. **Those feelings I felt, slowly gone…I want read and write I can help people more better, to keep **Symbol** alive until I die." She tried her best to explain to use words.

Cassandra tried to keep her composure, but she just couldn't. It always been hard for to express her feelings through words...

Barbara remembered only two times she ever seen Cassandra cry, first is when Batman fired Cassandra as Batgirl. That moment destroyed Cassandra, made her broke down in tears, Barbara remembered that moment perfectly. The other time was when she call Cassandra f-ing stupid in the heat of the moment during a crisis on a mission. She will always regret saying that.

Both times, Barbara could see just how so weak and fragile Cassandra could be, but she had an amazing strong front to cover it, to hide it.

"Cassandra..." Barbara reached from her wheel chair and pulled the young woman to her into a warm hug.

"Yes?" Cassandra looked up at Barbara, as she hugged her back.

"Thank you for opening up to me, I understand now. You ready to see your father?" she asked.

"Yes…"

* * *

**BLACKGATE**

David Cain, the old 'retired' assassin rested himself on his cold small bed. He laid the in fetal position, a small pillow under head, a small blanket that barely covered his body. He hated his room so much compare to his old room, his old room was closer to the library. Reading books were the only good pass time in Blackgate.

But ever since his last visit from her daughter that demanded him who her mother is, he was relocated into a more secure area. He knew it wouldn't be enough if she ever wanted to visit him again.

He knew he was right when he felt a shadow on him, he recognize it.

"Hey kid…" David greeted without even a glance back.

Batgirl stared at her father for a long moment, he stirred in his bed. His body language was reserved, it screamed out from his body.

_He still playing games with me, like always, like Shiva…mother. _

"Get up now," Batgirl's spoke in an smooth cool like tone of voice, completely different from her usual tone. The tone of Shiva's.

"I recognized that tone...I'm guessing you found out who your mother is?" David asked he still didn't look at her.

"I said up!" Batgirl grabbed her father's throat with her right hand lifted him up and slammed him into the wall very hard. He flinched in pain….Batgirl followed it with another slam against the wall. "**Two for flinching**," her voice still cold and contempt as she took off her mask.

She knew it would be safe to do so, Oracle would have put all the securely camera in a loop and guards well never be a problem with The Daughter of Destruction anyway.

"You know something, **you look actually like your mother when I found her...so beautiful**" David offered a smirk.

"**I will never be like her**!" she shouted.

"Is that right? So tell me then, what dooes the kid what?" he still grinned at her.

_Words alone won't help me, need to use the same language he taught, the only language we share._

"Answers," Batgirl kneed him in the stomach hard; he flinched, so she kneed him again. She let him go, he fell on his hands and knees. "How many of** 'your children'** are there?" Batgirl shouted as punched David in the face, he flinched, and she punched him in the face again harder this time breaking his nose. "How many '**Mad Dogs**?'" shouted as kicked him hard on his back.

_He is better than this, he not even defending himself at all...he not even trying...  
_

"Too many to count," David laughed, his mouth bloody.

_Still playing games….I need to 'talk' to him harder then._

David tried to sit up but Batgirl kicked him in the chest, he was on his back again on old concrete floor.

_I just need to find the right 'words' to 'talk' to him._

"How many '**blood children**' then?" Batgirl jumped on top of him. She punched David in the face. "Do I have any **blood bothers**?" she punched him in the face harder. "Do I have any **blood sisters**?" she kept the attacks on his face, he punch getting harder than the last. "Do I have **any other family**?"

"What do you think kid?" David grinned, his eyes at her focused on hers.

Batgirl read his body language; she got nothing, he refused to give in.**  
**

_I'm tired of these games..._**  
**

"You think I'm stupid?" she grabbed David's head and slammed on the ground the impact made his vision blurry for few seconds. "You sleep around with women." Batgirl continued to punch David in the face. She knew her father's 'eye' and rather his special interest in certain type of woman. "You enjoy women of my **colouring, like Shiva, like others." **She shouted.

"You mean Asians, yeah I have a fetish for-"

David couldn't finish his joke and his grin disappeared as she back-handed him enough to knock a tooth out.

_Why won't he tell me, why won't he tell me._

"Tell me, anything, now." Batgirl but his hands around his throat and pressed on it, she made sure it was enough for him to speak and breath. "Please!"

"No…." David sent a very bloody smirk.

_He prefers death, than tell me, like last time... coward…_

"Argh," her hand drove into the concrete floor beside David's throat, making a first formed hole. David grinned. He knew that type of strike, one of the more lethal nerve strikes that he taught her on dummies when she was a child. The same strike that she killed her first man with, the same strike that made her run away from him.

She could have killed him, but she didn't.

"I taught you so well, yet you continue to hold yourself back... **way back.** Don't you even try to hide it...you disappoint me" David said acidly.** "**You could be the best fighter in this world, but you won't be. You never be, all because of this," David pointed at the symbol on Batgirl chest. "So you have any other questions I won't answer?"

_Nothing, we won't tell me anything about 'that'... But still one more question…._

Batgirl got off his father and knelt beside him, she look down the laying body. His face bloody hurt from the punches, but he continued to grin.

"Yes…" she answered in a whisper.

"Well kid while I'm still awake?" he chuckled through the pain.

"Did…you ever truly love me or was I just some experi... um test for League of Assassins?" she asked.

"Both," David answered.

Batgirl read his body language, he wasn't lying.

"If both...then why didn't you love me like normal? Why did you just treat me like a tool, like a weapon?" she asked. "Why couldn't you treat me a daughter..." she tried to hold back her tears. "Just once..."

"Because a man like me is incapable of love like that. **The love I gave you are the skills to help you survive in this world** and look at you now, you survived and you being all 'hero-like.' You didn't do all the things from love you wanted, only the skills I taught**, those skills were my love.** Face it kid...**you don't need that type love. You were never meant to be love that way**." he explained.

The answer he gave her hurt more than any physical abuse he ever gave her, with **words**, it hurt her deeply.

_I was never meant to be love..._

Tears ran down her cheeks, she couldn't take it anymore. The emotions that she bottled up deep inside her, she couldn't control it. First her mother never loved her, she wanted for her to kill her. Her father raised her on violence and hurting, to kill, to become the perfect body-guard for the Ra's al Ghul leader of League of Assassins.

In their eyes, she was nothing more than an experiment.

She hated her mother, but with her father however. No matter how harsh her childhood was with her father, how he abuse her. She still loved him...

David saw the tears run down her cheeks, normally he wouldn't bat and eyelash when it came to a weeping woman.

But he finally realized, this was the tears of her daughter, his own flesh in blood, and for once in his long life... he felt guilt in his heart.

Batgirl didn't say anything, David read her blood language, he knew want she been craving for a long time. He power through his own pain as he sat up and peacefully wrapped his arms around her, he hugged his daughter.

She gasped.

"Why…after all this time why?" she wrapped her arms around her father and place her head on his shoulder.

"Because kid, you ask for it 'just once'." He answered, his voice soft, not as cold or rough as he normally would talk. "Or maybe it just a dying man follow his daughter's request..."

"You're..dying?" Batgirl whispered, she read his body language...he wasn't lying.

David nodded and pushed her daughter away.

"Funny ain't it...life time assassin, you would think I die in the field. But instead dying from liver disease from a life time of drinking." he chuckled.

"Father..." Batgirl tried to speak but David pressed his finger on her lips.

"Now get out of here, even the pathetic excuse of guards would notice by now something is wrong. Leave your old man to suffer here alone." David ordered.

Batgirl nodded and put her mask back on and made her way to the door.

"Good bye my baby girl," David finally rested back on the hard ground.

Batgirl nodded and made a heart-felt wave to her father.

_Good bye….daddy_

She made her escape...

**Next time: A Place Un-Belonging**


End file.
